By Tyler Hayden & Tiana Moloney
Photos by Ingrid Bostrom
Illustrations by Ben Ciccati
October 16, 2025
Find more Best of Santa Barbara® 2025 winners here.
S.B. Celebrity
S.B. Instagram Follow
John Palminteri
@johnpalminterinews
Around these parts, John Palminteri is a legend, a classic newsman full of grit and gumption, a social media savant who reports and posts at all hours of the day and night, and a congenial emcee presiding over events for good causes. We get tired just thinking about it. But not The Palm. “It’s invigorating, not exhausting,” he insists. “If there were 25 hours in a day, I think I would fill them up with my quest to get more news out to the public or attending an event to help out with hosting and fundraising. I could go on, but I don’t want to miss the next car crash or someone to interview about speeding e-bikes!”
Runner-Up (S.B. Celebrity): Jeff Bridges
Runner-Up (S.B. Instagram Follow): @sbgoodeatss
S.B. Columnist
Nick Welsh
Santa Barbara Independent, Independent.com
Nick Welsh likes to joke that the only reason he now wins this title is because all of Santa Barbara’s other columnists have either died or hung up their spurs for greener pastures. We know better than that, and so do his throngs of thankful readers, some of whom only crack the Thursday paper to see what the Angry Poodle has to say. That pseudonym, by the way (which predates Welsh), isn’t quite accurate. He’s as kind and thoughtful as they come, and far less skittish. But when it comes to chasing down stories and digging up the truth, he is indeed a dog with a bone.
Runner-Up: Matt Kettmann and Starshine Roshell (TIE)
S.B. Radio Station
92.9 KJEE
kjee.com
As fellow members of the “legacy” media landscape, we tip our hats to KJEE, not just for their staying power but for their evolution alongside modern rock that keeps dials tuned to 92.9 up and down the coast. “Truth is, KJEE is the last locally owned radio station in Santa Barbara, and the place just wouldn’t be the same if we split,” the staff said. Amen to that. Moreover, they continued, “we are uniquely unqualified for any other type of work,” and after 30 years broadcasting from a studio above Goodwill, “we can’t leave the discounts.”
Runner-Up: KCLU
S.B.-Based Website
Noozhawk.com
We’re firm believers that competition is a good thing, especially among news organizations. No one gives us a run for our money — and sometimes sprints right past us — more than Noozhawk.com, founded in 2007 as a trusted source of quick, accurate coverage of Santa Barbara County. “We do what we do at Noozhawk because we believe in the critical importance of local news reporting,” said Editor-in-Chief Tom Bolton. “Along with our media friends, we work hard every day to keep our communities up to date and well- informed. We believe journalism is a key component of democracy, and are proud to play our part.”
Runner-Up: independent.com